Code Scanner Agent

The Code Scanner Agent examines text for embedded code fragments and potential security risks. It identifies programming language syntax, evaluates security vulnerabilities, and helps prevent code injection attacks in applications that process user-generated content.

Code Scanner Agent interface and configuration

Security Notice: While the Code Scanner helps identify potentially malicious code, it should be part of a multi-layered security approach. Combine with other security measures for comprehensive protection against code-based attacks.

Component Inputs

Input Text: The text content to be analyzed for code fragments
Example: "Try running this script: System.exec('rm -rf /');"
Languages: Programming languages to detect in the content
Example: "javascript,python,sql,php,bash"
Threshold: Sensitivity level for code detection
Range: 0.0 to 1.0 (default: 0.5)
Lower values catch more potential code but may increase false positives
Is Blocked: Whether content with code should be blocked
Options: true (block code) or false (allow but flag code)

Component Outputs

Safety Status: Overall assessment of code detection results
Values: Safe (no code detected), Warning (benign code), Unsafe (potentially harmful code)
Risk Score: Numerical evaluation of code-based security risk
Scale: 0.0 (no risk) to 1.0 (high risk)
Detected Languages: List of programming languages identified in the content
Example: ["javascript", "python"]

Detection Categories

Language Detection

JavaScript/TypeScript
Python
PHP
SQL
Bash/Shell
HTML/CSS
Java/C#/C++

Risk Assessment

Code Injection Attempts
Command Execution
Data Access Operations
Network Operations
System Function Calls
Obfuscated Code Patterns
Malicious Payloads

How It Works

The Code Scanner Agent employs multiple detection techniques including syntax analysis, pattern matching, and language fingerprinting to identify code fragments. It evaluates both the presence of code and its potential security impact based on the operations it attempts to perform.

Detection Techniques

Language syntax identification (keywords, operators, format)
Pattern-based detection of common coding structures
Contextual analysis to differentiate code from regular text
Semantic analysis of potential operations and their risk level
Detection of code snippets and embedded fragments

Use Cases

Forum and Comment Protection: Prevent code injection in user-generated content
Chatbot Security: Detect attempts to manipulate AI systems through code inputs
Document Processing: Identify potentially malicious code in uploaded documents
Email Filtering: Flag emails containing suspicious code snippets
Content Moderation: Identify code-sharing that violates platform policies

Implementation Example

const codeScanner = new CodeScanner({
  languages: ["javascript", "python", "php", "sql", "bash"],
  threshold: 0.6,
  isBlocked: true
});

const inputText = "Here's a solution: for i in range(10): exec('rm -rf /');
const result = codeScanner.scan(inputText);

// Output:
// {
//   safetyStatus: "Unsafe",
//   riskScore: 0.89,
//   detectedLanguages: ["python"],
//   codeFragments: [
//     {
//       fragment: "for i in range(10): exec('rm -rf /')",
//       language: "python",
//       riskLevel: "high",
//       reason: "System command execution with destructive operation"
//     }
//   ]
// }

Useful Resources

Best Practices

Configure the language list to match your application's specific vulnerabilities
Adjust thresholds based on your content policies and risk tolerance
Supplement code scanning with input sanitization in your application
Implement content sandboxing for environments where code sharing is permitted
Monitor scanning logs to identify emerging code injection techniques

Documentation